CURRENT AFFAIRS OF APRIL 2018

www.leadthecompetition.in CURRENT AFFAIRS OF APRIL 2018 Awards Gujarati poet and playwright who has been chosen to be conferred the 2017 Saraswati Samman by KK Birla Foundation Sitanshu Yashaschandra The Egyptian press photographer who has been chosen for the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize 2018 Mahmoud Abu Zeid The veteran Bollywood actor (passed away on 27 Apr 17) who has been conferred the 49th Dadasaheb Phalke Award posthumously Vinod Khanna Defence The two-day coastal security exercise conducted by the Indian Navy off the coast of Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands to enhance and assess the threat from the sea was named Sagar Kavach The biggest ever country wide war exercise being conducted by the Indian Air Force from 08 to 22 April 2018 is named Gagan Shakti The joint anti-piracy exercise conducted by the Coast Guards of India and South Korea off Chennai coast is named SAHYOG-HYEOBLYEOG 2018 Persons The Supreme Court counsel who has become the first woman lawyer to be directly elevated as a Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra The 13-member task force set up by the Govt to prepare a road map for the implementation of unmanned aerial vehicle technology is headed by Shri Jayant Sinha The committee formed by Govt of India (HRD Ministry) to examine the process by which the CBSE conducts examinations is headed by V S Oberoi Places The north-eastern State from where the Central Govt has withdrawn the AFSPA after 27 years Meghalaya The place in Madhya Pradesh from where the Indian PM Shri Narendra Modi has launched Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan Ram Nagar in Mandla The country which has opened its first cinema after a gap of 35 years on April 18 Saudi Arabia The place in Chhattisgarh from where the PM Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated a Health and Wellness Centre, to mark the launch of the Union Government s Health Assurance Programme Ayushman Bharat Bijapur

The venue of 4-day biennial exhibition of weapons and military hardware DefExpo India-2018 held from 11 to 14 April 18 Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu) The Indian State which has decided to provide free chemotherapy to cancer patients from June 2018 in 10 districts in the first phase Maharashtra The city which has become the first in the country to start selling BS-VI fuel (at present the cleanest fuel in the world) Delhi The place in Tamil Nadu where India's first insect museum was inaugurated by its Chief Minister EK Palaniswami Coimbatore (TNAU) Companies The company which has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ministry of Tourism to adopt Red Fort and Gandikota Fort for a period of 5 years at a cost of Rs. 25 crores Dalmia Bharat The Indian company which has become the first to achieve 100 billion dollar market capitalisation TCS The board member of Wipro Ltd who has been appointed the Chairman of NASSCOM for the year 2018-19 Rishad Premji The former Managing Director of Intel South Asia who has been appointed the new President of NASSCOM (the first woman President of NASSCOM) Ms Debjani Ghosh Space The space telescope launched by NASA to search for exoplanets on April 18, 2018 atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral is named Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) The satellite launched by NASA on April 16 from Kwajalein Atoll in Marshall Islands to study the interstellar medium is named CHESS 4 (Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph) The name given to the most distant star discovered by NASA at a distance of nine billion light years Icarus The out of control space station of China which burnt up on re-entry into earth's atmosphere and crashed into the Pacific Ocean was named Tiangong-1 Sports The team which has won the inaugural edition of India Super Cup 2018 football tournament defeating East Bengal in the finals at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar Bengaluru FC The sporting event which has been excluded from the Commonwealth Games of 2022 to be held in Birmingham Shooting The Indian badminton player who has been ranked at No. 1 position by the World Badminton Federation (becoming the second Indian after Saina Nehwal to achieve the feat) Kidambi Srikanth

The Indian tennis player who has become the most successful doubles player in the history of Davis Cup (he recorded his 43rd win with Rohan Bopanna against China) Leander Paes The team which has won the 2017-18 Santosh Trophy defeating Bengal in the finals at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata Kerala Indices and Ranks The rank of India in the World Press Freedom Index 2018 which has Norway, Sweden and Netherlands at the top 3 positions 138 The rank of India in the 2018 Index of Economic Freedom released by US based Heritage Foundation (the list is topped by Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand) 130 Projects The project launched by Dept of Posts for total digitisation of postal operations in the country is named DARPAN (Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for a New India) The project launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to spread awareness about availing Vitamin D through natural sunlight (the project urges schools to shift their morning assembly to noon time, mainly between 11 am and 1 pm) Project Dhoop Miscellaneous The mobile app launched by the Minister of Coal Shri Piyush Goyal for coal quality monitoring is named UTTAM (Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal) The social media based remittance service launched by ICICI Bank for NRIs to transfer money using social media platforms is named Social Pay The two endangered languages spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha discovered by University of Hyderabad linguist Panchanan Mohanty Walmiki and Malhar The theme of National Maritime Day being observed on 05 April 2018 Indian Shipping - An Ocean of Opportunity The scheme introduced by West Bengal for providing marriage assistance to girls from economically weaker families is named Rupashree Important Days of April World Autism Awareness Day: 02 April 2018 Theme: Empowering Women and Girls with Autism Designated by: UN General Assembly First Observed in: 2008

International Mine Awareness Day: 04 April 2018 Designated by: United Nations General Assembly Theme: Advancing Protection, Peace and Development First Observed in: 2006 International Day of Sport for Development and Peace: 06 April 2018 Designated by: United Nations General Assembly First Observed in: 2014 World Health Day: 07 April 2018 Designated by: World Health Organisation Theme: Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere First Observed in: 1950 International Day of Human Space Flight: 12 April 2018 Designated by: UN General Assembly First Observed in: 2011 World Haemophilia Day: 17 April 2018 Designated by: World Federation of Haemophilia Theme: Sharing Knowledge Makes us Stronger First Observed in: 1989 International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day): 18 April 2018 Designated by: UNESCO Theme: Cultural Heritage for Generations First Observed in: 1983 International Mother Earth Day: 22 April 2018 Designated by: UN General Assembly First Observed in: 2010 Note: Earth Day was first observed in 1970 in the United States and it went global in 1990. The same day was adopted by the UN in 2009 as the International Mother Earth Day. UN English Language Day: 23 April 2018 Designated by: UN Dept of Public Information First Observed in: 2010 Significance: Birthday of William Shakespeare World Malaria Day: 25 April 2018 Designated by: World Health Organisation First Observed in: 2007 Theme: Malaria Prevention: Ready to beat malaria World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April 2018 Designated by: World Intellectual Property Organisation First Observed in: 2000 Theme: Powering change: Women in innovation and creativity World Day for Safety and Health: 28 April 2018 Designated by: International Labour Organisation First Observed in: 2003 Theme: Occupational safety health - Vulnerability of young workers

65 th National Film Awards 2017 # Name of the Award Name of the Film Awardees 1. Best Feature Film Village Rockstars (Assamese) Producer and Director: Rima Das 2. Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Sinjar (Jasari) Producer: Shibu G Suseelan Film of a Director Director: Pampally 3. Best Popular Film Baahubali - The Conclusion (Telugu) Producer: Prasad Devineni Director: SS Rajamouli 4. Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration Dhappa (Marathi) Producer: Sumatilal Popatlal Director: Nipun Dharmadhikari 5. Best Film on Social Issues Aalorukkam (Malayalam) Producer: Jolly Lonappan Director: VC Abhilash 6. Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation Irada (Hindi) Director: Aparnaa Singh Producer: Irada Entertainment 7. Best Children's Film Mhorkya (Marathi) Producer: Kalyan Rajmogli Padal Director: Amar Bharat Deokar 8. Best Hindi Film Newton Producer: Manish Mundra Director: Amit V Masurkar 9. Best Direction Bhayanakam (Malayalam) Director: Jayaraj 10. Best Actor Nagarkirtan (Bengali) Riddhi Sen 11. Best Actress Mom (Hindi) Sridevi 12. Best Supporting Actor Thondimuthalum Fahad Fazil Driksakshiyum (Malayalam) 13. Best Supporting Actress Irada (Hindi) Divya Dutta 14. Best Child Artist Village Rockstars (Assamese) Bhanita Das 15. Best Male Playback Singer Film : Viswasapoorvam Mansoor (Malayalam); Song: Poy Maranja Kalam KJ Yesudas 16. Best Female Playback Singer Film: Kaatru Veliyidai (Tamil); Shashaa Tirupati Song: Vaan 17. Best Book on Cinema Matmagi Manipur - The first Author: Bobby Wahengbam Manipuri feature film 18. Most Film Friendly State Madhya Pradesh - Film Awards by Maharashtra Govt Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award: Dharmendra Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award: Raj Kumar Hirani V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award: Vijay Chauhan V Shantaram Special Contribution Award: Mrinal Kulkarni

Launch of IRNSS-1I Launched on: 12 April 2018 Launched from: Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV-C41 Weighing 1425 kg, IRNSS-1I is the latest member of the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system. NavIC, also known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland. India's most powerful locomotive Indian PM Shri Narendra Modi flagged off India's most powerful electric locomotive from Madhepura loco factory in Bihar. The engine has been built in collaboration with French firm Alstom under 'Make in India' initiative. This is India's first 12,000 horsepower (HP) electric locomotive. Prior to this, 6,000 HP locomotive was India's most powerful electric engine. Only Russia, China, Germany and Sweden have 12,000 HP locomotives. The locomotive with a maximum speed of 110 km per hour, will be mostly used for transportation of coal and iron ore. The foundation stone for the factory was laid in 2007 by the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad. Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 for better protection and promotion of human rights in the country. Salient Features: It proposes to include National Commission for Protection of Child Rights as deemed Member of the Commission; It proposes to add a woman Member in the composition of the Commission; It proposes to enlarge the scope of eligibility and scope of selection of Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission as well as the State Human Rights Commission; It proposes to incorporate a mechanism to look after the cases of human rights violation in the Union Territories.

It proposes to amend the term of office of Chairperson and Members of National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commission to make it in consonance with the terms of Chairperson and Members of other Commissions. The amendment to the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 will make National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) more compliant with the Paris Principle concerning its autonomy, independence, pluralism and wide-ranging functions in order to effectively protect and promote human rights. Commonwealth Games 2018 Venue: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia From 04 April to 15 April 2018 Motto: Share the Dream Mascot : Borobi (Blue Koala) Medals Tally # Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Australia 80 59 59 198 2 England 45 45 46 136 3 India 26 20 20 66 4 Canada 15 40 27 82 5 New Zealand 15 16 15 46 Venue of next Commonwealth Games: Birmingham (U.K.) India's medals by sport Event Gold Silver Bronze Total Shooting 7 4 5 16 Wrestling 5 3 4 12 Weightlifting 5 2 2 9 Boxing 3 3 3 9 Table Tennis 3 2 3 8 Badminton 2 3 1 6 Athletics 1 1 1 3 Squash 0 2 0 2 Powerlifting 0 0 1 1 Total 26 20 20 66 Flag bearer of the Indian contingent at the Opening Ceremony: PV Sindhu Flag bearer of the Indian contingent at the Closing Ceremony: Mary Kom

NIRF India Rankings 2018 Union HRD Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar released NIRF India Rankings 2018 for Higher Education Institutions In this third edition of India Rankings, a total of 2809 institutions participated in 9 categories. Collectively they have submitted 3954 distinct profiles, some in multiple disciplines/categories. This includes 301 Universities, 906 Engineering Institutions, 487 Management Institutions, 286 Pharmacy Institutions, 71 Law Institutions, 101 Medical Institutions, 59 Architecture Institutions and 1087 General Degree Colleges. List of top ranking institute in each category is as follows: Overall: Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru Management: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad University: Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru College: Miranda House, Delhi Pharmacy: National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali Medical: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi Architecture: Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur Law: National Law School of India University, Bengaluru Engineering: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Abbreviations in News UTTAM: Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal Books in News Less by Andrew Sean Greer (Pulitzer Prize 2018 for fiction) Cost of Living by Martyna Majok (Pulitzer Prize 2018 for Drama) LIST OF MEDAL WINNERS AT 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES Gold Medallist Sport 1. Neeraj Chopra Men s Javelin Throw 2. Saina, Sindhu, Srikanth, Prannoy, Ruthvika, Ashwini, Badminton Sikki, Satwik, Pranaav, Chirag 3. Saina Nehwal Badminton 4. Mary Kom Boxing 5. Vikas Krishan Boxing 6. Gaurav Solanki Boxing 7. Anish Bhanwala Shooting

8. Manu Bhaker Shooting 9. Shreyasi Singh Shooting 10. Jitu Rai Shooting 11. Sanjeev Rajput Shooting 12. Tejaswini Sawant Shooting 13. Heena Sidhu Shooting 14. Manika, Mouma, Madhurika, Pooja, Sutirta Table Tennis 15. Sathiyan, Sharath, Harmeet, Sanil, Amalraj Table Tennis 16. Manika Batra Table Tennis 17. Mirabai Chanu Weightlifting 18. Sanjita Chanu Weightlifting 19. Saitsh Kimar Sivalingam Weightlifting 20. Venkat Ragul Ragala Weightlifting 21. Punam Yadav Weightlifting 22. Sushil Kumar Wrestling 23. Rahul Aware Wrestling 24. Bajrang Punia Wrestling 25. Sumit Wrestling 26. Vinesh Phogat Wrestling Silver Medallist Sport 1. Seema Punia Women s Discus Throw 2. PV Sindhu Badminton 3. Kidambi Srikanth Badminton 4. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty Badminton 5. Satish Kumar Boxing 6. Amit Phangal Boxing 7. Manish Kaushik Boxing 8. Mehuli Ghosh Shooting 9. Heena Sidhu Shooting 10. Anjum Moudgil Shooting 11. Tejaswini Sawant Shooting 12. Dipika Pallikal / Saurav Ghosal Squash 13. Dipika Pallikal / Joshna Chinappa Squash 14. Achanta Sharath Kama / Sathiyan G Table Tennis 15. Manika Batra / Mouma Das Table Tennis 16. Pardeep Singh Weightlifting 17. Gururaja P Weightlifting 18. Mausam Khatri Wrestling 19. Babita Phogat Wrestling 20. Pooja Dhanda Wrestling Bronze Medallist Sport 1. Navjeet Dhillon Women s Discus Throw 2. Ashwini Ponnapa / Sikki Reddy Badminton 3. Naman Tanwar Boxing

4. Manoj Kumar Boxing 5. Hussamuddin Muhammad Boxing 6. Sachin Chaudhary Para Powerlifting 7. Om Mitharval Shooting 8. Om Mitharval Shooting 9. Ravi Kumar Shooting 10. Ankur Mittal Shooting 11. Apurvi Chandela Shooting 12. Harmeet Desai / Sanil Shetty Table Tennis 13. Achanta Sharath Kamal Table Tennis 14. Manika Batra / Sathiyan G Table Tennis 15. Deepak Lather Weightlifting 16. Vikas Thakur Weightlifting 17. Somveer Wrestling 18. Sakshi Malik Wrestling 19. Divya Kakran Wrestling 20. Kiran Wrestling Mail your queries and suggestions to admin@leadthecompetition.in